Depth regulator for excavators



Jul 6,1926. 1,591,689

c. A. SPEARS DEPTH REGULATOR FOR EXCAVATORS I Filed June 1, 1925 CHARLES AS FEARS BY Patented July 6, 1926.

UNITED STATES CHARLES A. SPEARS, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

DEPTH REGULATOR FOR EXOA'V'ATORS.

Application filed June 1, 1925.

My invention is a depth regulator for excavators and is particularly adapted for use with or attachment to excavators of the endless bucket type in which the bucket carry- 5 ing frame is pivotally mounted on a supporting carriage or the like.

My invention is applied to a bucket excavator and comprises a shoe pivotally connected to the lower end of the bucket elevator frame and having a crank arm and a link connecting the rear part of the shoe to the supporting carriage. When the crank is turned in one direction, it elevates the rear end of the shoe, thereby tipping the nose downwardly and allowing the bucket conveyor to dig deeper into the material being excavated. In this operation the. bucket conveyor frame pivots backwardly on the supporting carriage.

'VVhen the crank is operated to be swung forwardly the shoe and its connecting bar forces the elevator frame outwardly and up, thereby elevating the bucket conveyors above the ground permitting the carriage to move the whole device forwardly. In this operation the bucket frame pivots upwardly on the supporting carriage.

The machine disclosed herein is an improvement on my application, Serial No. 748,608 filed November 8, 1924, for a depth regulator for surfacing and scraping machines.

My invention will be more readily understood from the following description and drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of an excavator of the endless bucket type with my depth regulator shoe and its operative mech anism connected thereto.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the lower part of Figure 1 showing the shoe drawn rearwardly and tilted thereby allowing the excavator buckets to dig deeper.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 with the shoe forced forwardly, thereby shoving the bucket excavator frame up and the buckets out of contact with the ground to facilitate transportation, etc.

Figure 4 is a detail showing the action of the crank arm and the crank pin bar in the various positions of the excavator.

Referring particularly to Figure 1 the excavator carriage is designated generally by the numeral 1 having a rigid frame 2 and caterpillar tracks 3 to move the carriage. The power mechanism for operating Serial No. 33,984.

the carriage and the excavator buckets will also be mounted on the carriage. The excavator frame 4 1s plvotally connected to the carriage 2 by the pintle 5. This frame pref shoe at 17 and secured by rivets 18 to the bar. The front end of the bar is swiveled on a pintle 19 which is fastened to one of the siderails 6. The rear end of the shoe is pivotally'connected to a link 21 by the-pins 22. The upper end of the link is pivoted to a crank 23 by a crank pin 24. The link is adjustable in the manner of a turn-buckle by having opposite threads 25 threaded into sockets 26 in a lower yoke 27 and an upper yoke 28. Thecentral portion of the link is squared to form a wrench grip 29. By means of this link the distance between the pin 22 and the crank pin 24 may be acjusted.

A shaft 30 extends across the lower bars .31 of the carriage frame and has a substanmanner thereto. A worm 33 forming part of, the worm shaft 34 is mounted in a lower bearing 35 and anupper bearing 36 attached by a brace '37 to the carriage frame 2. A wheel 38 is used to operate the worm shaft and the worm.

A substantial brace 39 is bolted to the lower corner 40 of the lower member 41 of the excavator frame 4 and continues substantially parallel thereto and then upwardly, having a central portion 42 parallel to the inclined back frame member 43 of the bucket frame, being bolted thereto as indicated at 44. It is preferable to have the crank pin 24 extend completely across the machine and connect at its ends to opposite links 21. The depth regulating mechanism just described is duplicated on the opposite side of the machine in a manner readily l lde st od, Thus, there is another bar 12 terial pivoted; to the other rail 6, to carry the opposite side of shoe 11, which is actuated by another link 21 and by crank 23, carried by shaft 30. There is, of course, only one shaft 34 with its attendant elements, and only one shoe.

The operation of my depth regulator shoe and the mechanism connected therewith is substantially as follows:

For normal digging or excavating in a forward direction the shoe 11 would rest on the ground as shown in Figure 1; in which case the carriage wouldbe moved forward to cause the buckets to dig into new material. When it is desired to dig deeper, hand wheel. 38 is operated. turning the worm 33 to draw the cranks 23 rearwardly shown in Figure 2. This elevates the rear portion of the shoe andtilts it forwardly. thus allowing the excavator buckets .to di deeper, asthe shovel plate 4-5, which is ached by braces as and 47 to the bucket frame is tilted into the soil- If the excavator is operating in soft inaslight tilting of the shoe, throwing the wv {fat on the ndse portion 1'? will allow the buckets to work their way down in the material being excavated. When the re- Qliilfltl depth is reached the hand wheel 38 will he reversed bringing the crank and link 21 into the position shown in Figure 1 with the shoe 11 horizontal. 4

When it is desired to swing the bucket frame .4 upwardly on its pintle 5 the hand wheel 38 is operated to swing the crank foiwvard, as shown in Figure 3. This will force the shoe 11 forward andthi'ough the bar 12 shove the lower endof the bucket excavator frame upwardly and outi'vardly thereby raising the buckets and the shovel plate 45 above the ground. The whole ma.- chine is therefore in a position for being transported on the caterpillar tracks from place to place v The brace 39 and the rearward surface of the inclinedback frame member 43 form a slot in which ,the crank 'pin bar 24 operates. Thus, in the moveme'ntofthe crank forwardly jor backwardly the crank pin bar presses either against the brace 39 'orfthe back of the frame member 43, thereby, func tioning in part to position the forward end of the excavator. The different positions of the crank pin bar 2% are shown in Figure lin. which the solid line position is that represented the working position of Figure 1 and the ripi'ie'r dotted position would be that with the shoe raised and drawn backwardly to a greater extent than in Figure 2. The lower dotteiil circle indicates the position of the crank pin bar when the eXcavator in the lifted position of Figure 3. it. will, of course, be recognized that the frame member 4 3 shifts in position relative to the pintle 5 in. these various shifting I'HOVQDICDfS.

lriy invention may be considerably modified in general structure and in details to suit special requirements. sizes of machinery and other 0' iinista'nces without departing from the spi thereof. 7

Having described my invention, what I claim,

1.. The co abination with an excavator carriage frame; a shovel plate and conveyor associated tlierewithof excavator frame for supporting said plate and conveyor, said excavator frame be- 1 e carriage frame, a bar pivt the excavator frame a shoe carried t id bar and adaptedto slide over the ound, and means connecting; said shoc with the carriage frame. wlierel'iy the excavator frame may he tilted relative to the carriage frame.

The comb nation with an excavator haviir a V carria c frame, of an excavator fran'ie pivoted thereto, ashoe associated with said ernvator frame, and means connecting said shoe with the carriage frame. whereby the excavator frame may be tilted relative to the carriage frame.

The combination with an excavator having; a carriage frame, of an eXca' ator frame pivoted thereto, a shoe associated with said excavator frame, and means connecting said shoe with the carriage frame, whereby the shoe may be'raised out of engagen'ient with the ground, and the excavator frame tilted relative 'to the carriage frame. V

In testimony whereof I afliX my signat'ure.

CHARLES A. srnirns. 

